Join Us for 2016 Joy Maker Challenge

This is a sponsored post for Hasbro and generationOn. I wanted to share some easy and fun ways for kids to give back through the Joy Maker Challenge. My opinions, as always, are my own.

“If you wait until you can do everything for everybody, instead of something for somebody, you’ll end up not doing nothing for nobody.” ~ Malcom Bane

I’m so excited to tell you about the 2016 Joy Maker Challenge. Hasbro and generationOn, the youth division of Point of Light, have partnered for the seventh annual Joy Maker Challenge, a campaign encouraging youth ages 5-18 to spread joy to people in need during the holidays through volunteer service. Since the campaign’s inaugural year in 2010, more than 960,000 total acts of service have been completed, with 6 million dollars’ worth of toys donated to Toys for Tots by Hasbro.

“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” ~ Albert Einstein

2016 Joy Maker Challenge

From November 21 through December 23, teens, teachers, youth development professionals and families can sign up, search for local volunteer projects or share their stories for The Joy Maker Challenge through the campaign website (generationOn.org/joymaker). The website features service project ideas, downloadable planning tool kits and project guides, developed by generationOn, to help youth learn about and spread joy to those in need.

For every kid and teen who volunteers throughout The Joy Maker Challenge, Hasbro will donate a toy or game to Toys for Tots (up to $1 million worth)! In addition, 100 ‘Kindness Ambassadors’ were selected by generationOn to receive 100 toys to donate locally. The Joy Maker Ambassadors were selected based on their volunteer contributions, holiday project story and community need.

Four grand prize winners will be selected at the end of the campaign to win a $500 grant, while 20 additional participants will be awarded $250 grants each.

“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” ~ Muhammad Ali

Our 2016 Joy Maker Challenge

We looked at all the wonderful projects in the Joy Maker Challenge Project Guide: Festive Communities, Holiday Hope Chests, Puzzles to Remember, Share the Season, Doggie Bags, Caring Cards, Bake Sale, Coat Drive, and January Harvest. Each project in the Joy Maker Challenge Project Guide comes with a downloadable and printable PDF guide.

We went with Doggie Bags … baking our own doggie treats that we can either sell or donate to a local animal shelter.

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Other inspiring service projects completed by kids and teens over the years include:
• San Clemente resident, Max Page, turned his garage into ‘The Giving Garage,’ inviting local families to pick up Hasbro toys to give to those in need during the holidays.
• Members of the Alchemy generationOn Service Club in New York City made ‘caring cards’ to send to those affected by last year’s events in Paris, France.
• 33 youth came together in Corvallis, OR to do a variety of service projects, including raking leaves in the yards of senior citizens and people with disabilities.

To join the conversation surrounding The Joy Maker Challenge on social media, follow the hashtag #JoyMaker and #BFBK

How about you? How are you and your kids finding ways to give back during the busy month of December? Please share! Thank you and happy holidays!

The Joy Maker Challenge is part of BE FEARLESS BE KIND, Hasbro’s new signature philanthropic initiative designed to inspire and empower kids to have the empathy, compassion and courage to stand up for others and be inclusive throughout their lives. Hasbro, which has a long and proud tradition of empowering children through its many philanthropic programs, is one of generationOn’s founding partners. generationOn,the youth division of Points of Light, provides programs and resources that support the development of caring, compassionate and capable kids and teens through service, empowering them to become changemakers in their communities and the world.

This is a sponsored post for Hasbro and generationOn. My opinions, as always, are my own.

4 Comments

Le the emphasis on teaching kids the joy of helping other through kindness activities for animals and people. Having a project is a great motivator for kids.Patricia Tilton recently posted…Hour of the Bees by Lindsay Eagar